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My dissertation examines late medieval literature through the lens of medical history, especially humoral psychology. Although the humors are still of interest to the history of medicine, they are often overlooked in current literary criticism. My project examines how the humors influenced representations of bodies in medieval literary texts (St. Erkenwald, Chaucer's Franklin's Tale, Richard Coer de Lyon, and Marie de France's Yonec). In chapters exploring the connection between the humors and religious devotion, marriage, cannibalism, and shape-shifting, I show that humoral psychology was not just a medical theory known to medieval medical practitioners, but also a deeply influential cosmology for the literary representation of bodies and emotions. I approach this project from two angles, using a methodology that relies on textual analysis and cultural contextualization. My work also aligns itself with scholars who have explored early modern works through the lens of historical phenomenology (Smith, Paster, Floyd-Wilson, Rowe). The project moreover encourages and contributes to the dialogue between the humanities and sciences in general and literature and medicine more specifically, as it makes connections to medical theories post-Descartes (Damasio) and to current scholarship regarding non-Western medical practices (Horden; Hsu) that discuss debates about balancing emotions and locating those emotions within the physical body. My project thus provides an analytical approach for interpreting medieval literature via medical models while also showing what the medieval period can contribute to the ongoing work of assessing the role of emotions in the past and its continued resonance in current medical debates.

Shakespeare references humoral medical theory and social definitions of gender throughout much of his work. His references to medical practices like purging, the siphoning of excessive emotional fluids to bring the body into balance, are more than allusions to medical theories. Shakespeare's works unveil and challenge early modern approaches to emotional experience, most particularly when it comes to traumatic experiences that overwhelm comprehension. In Titus Andronicus (1592), The Rape of Lucrece (1593), Hamlet (1603), King Lear (1608), and Macbeth (1606), Shakespeare invokes humoral theory to articulate the early modern traumatic experience and to criticize the efficacy of purging in representations of trauma. For Shakespeare, the siphoning of destabilized emotions, through metaphorical and rhetorical practices, has dangerous consequences for bodies coded as feminine.

La notion de « bile », exprimée par le substantif χολή, représente l’un des plus importants et des plus célèbres concepts de la médecine hippocratique, inséparable dans la pensée moderne de la fameuse théorie humorale. Au premier abord, les choses semblent donc claires. Cependant, lorsqu’on se plonge dans la lecture des écrits hippocratiques, la notion de cholè s’avère moins simple et évidente. Notre analyse des textes hippocratiques montre, en effet, que la cholè diffère d’un traité à l’autre et que chaque auteur hippocratique élabore sa propre notion de cholè. Nous nous sommes posé alors la question de l’origine de ce concept médical, ainsi que de l’origine de son cadre, qui est la théorie humorale. Notre quête des origines nous a amenée jusqu’aux idées homérique de chólos et aristophanique de cholè, qui se présentent toutes les deux comme fondamentalement différentes de l’idée médicale de cholè, unissant en elles-mêmes les notions de substance et d’état d’esprit. C’est justement cet écart entre les concepts non-médicaux et les concepts médicaux qui nous a intéressée au plus haut point, car il permet de voir comment les médecins hippocratiques élaborent leurs idées et leur discours. L’essentiel de notre travail consiste, donc, en un examen approfondi des procédés par lesquels les hippocratiques s’approprient des idées non-médicales : ce qu’ils retranchent, ce qu’ils rajoutent et ce qu’ils remanient. Nous espérons ainsi mettre en évidence les chemins par lesquels passe la pensée médicale ancienne, dans son processus d’émancipation de la culture traditionnelle, mais aussi des autres « sciences » de l’époque, telle que la philosophie. / The notion of « gall », expressed by the noun χολή, is one of the most important as well as the most celebrated concepts of the hippocratic medicine, inseparable for the modern mind from the humoral theory. At first sight then, the idea of « gall » seems fairly obvious. However, reading hippocratic treatises in detail, one realizes that the notion of cholè turns out to be far more complex and intricate than expected. Our analysis of the most relevant hippocratic texts shows indeed that the concept of cholè varies according to the texts involved, as every author tends to develop his own concept of cholè. We tried to find out whether the complex nature of the medical concept known as cholè could be elucidated by a survey of its origins, and a survey of the origins of the humoral system as a whole. Our search for the origins of cholè has led us to the Homeric concept of chólos and to the Aristophanic concept of cholè. The prerequisites of both notions conspicuously differ from the medical concept of cholè, because they unite the substance with a state of mind. This discrepancy between medical and non-medical concepts was of utmost importance for us, since it helped to understand how hippocratic authors developed their ideas and their discourse. The main asset of our work consists, therefore, in an in-depth analysis of the ways in which hippocratic authors take over some non-medical ideas to frame concepts of their own : what are the components they cut out, add or modify. Our goal is to show how ancient medical thought proceeds, in its endeavour to emancipate itself from the tradition as well as from the other contemporary “sciences”, as philosophy.

Religieuse, fondatrice, mystique, docteure de l’Église catholique, et auteur de textes autobiographiques, doctrinaux, épistolaires et poétiques, Sainte Thérèse d’Avila (1515-1582) est l’une des personnalités majeures de la littérature mystique du Siècle d’Or espagnol. Profondément observatrice de la nature humaine, elle a écrit avec une simplicité profonde sur la maladie mélancolique, un trouble des humeurs qui a vraiment affecté la société de cette époque attirant l’intérêt des médecins, philosophes et religieux. Ce mémoire examine à la lumière d’une perspective interdisciplinaire le traitement de la mélancolie dans la littérature thérésienne dans le cadre des idées exposées dans les textes Vida (1562-65), Las moradas (1577) et Fundaciones (1573-1582), appuyées de cas concrets décrits dans les lettres de Thérèse et le livre Procesos de beatificación y canonización de Santa Teresa de Jesús. La première partie expose un survol sur certains traits de la mélancolie conçus dans la pensée occidentale antique et médiévale ainsi que ses influences reformulées par la société espagnole des XVIe et XVIIe siècles. Ensuite, il est proposé un dialogue entre Thérèse et le discours de plusieurs textes médicaux, suivi des rapports complémentaires entre ses déclarations et quelques œuvres ascétiques et mystiques d’autres auteurs catholiques de cette période. La deuxième partie fournit l’analyse des mots clés utilisés par l’écrivaine pour décrire la mélancolie ainsi que des considérations naturelles et préternaturelles autour de cette maladie. Finalement, ce travail présente la systématisation de ses causes, symptômes et souffrances, types de mélancoliques et formes de traitement. / Religious, founder, mystic, doctor of the Catholic Church, Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) was a relevant figure during the Spanish Golden Age. Her writings include autobiographical, doctrinal, epistolary and poetic texts. Being a deep observer of human nature, Teresa wrote with deep simplicity about melancholy which was a disease caused by a humor’s disorder that greatly affected society at that time. This fact drew the attention of physicians, philosophers and religious authors. This Master’s thesis examines the treatment of melancholy in Teresa’s literature from an interdisciplinary perspective in the framework of the ideas exposed in Vida (1562-65), Las moradas (1577) and Fundaciones (1573-1582), complemented by some cases described in her letters and in the book Procesos de beatificación y canonización de Santa Teresa de Jesús. The first part exposes a general overview of certain features of melancholy according to the ancient and medieval Western thought, as well as its influences, which were reformulated by the Spanish society during 16th and 17th centuries. Afterwards, this study proposes a dialogue between Teresa and some medical writing’s discourse, followed by complementary connections between her statements and some ascetic and mystical works of other catholic authors of this time. The second part provides an analysis of the keywords used by the writer for describing melancholy as well as some natural and preternatural considerations about this illness. Finally, this work presents a systematization of its causes, symptoms and sufferings, types of melancholic persons and healing treatment variations. / Religiosa, fundadora, mística, doctora de la Iglesia Católica y autora de textos autobiográficos, doctrinales, epistolares y poéticos, Santa Teresa de Jesús (1515-1582) fue una de las personalidades más sobresalientes del Siglo de Oro. Siendo una gran observadora de la naturaleza humana, escribió con simplicidad profunda sobre la enfermedad melancólica, un trastorno humoral que afectaba seriamente la sociedad de su tiempo y atrajo la atención de médicos, filósofos y religiosos. Esta memoria examina a través de una perspectiva interdisciplinaria el tratamiento de la melancolía en la literatura teresiana en el marco de las ideas expuestas en Vida (1562-65), Las moradas (1577) y Fundaciones (1573-1582), complementados por algunos casos concretos descritos en sus cartas y en el libro Procesos de beatificación y canonización de Santa Teresa de Jesús. La primera parte expone un panorama sobre ciertos rasgos de la melancolía según el pensamiento antiguo y medieval así como sus influencias reformuladas por la sociedad española de los siglos XVI y XVII. Posteriormente, este estudio propone un diálogo entre Teresa y el discurso de varios textos médicos, seguido de las relaciones de complementariedad entre sus afirmaciones y algunas obras ascéticas y místicas de otros autores católicos de ese periodo. La segunda parte plantea un análisis de palabras clave utilizadas por la escritora para describir la melancolía, así como algunas consideraciones naturales y preternaturales respecto a esta enfermedad. Finalmente, este trabajo presenta una sistematización acerca de las causas, síntomas y padecimientos, tipos de melancólicos y formas de tratamiento.